First World War Reenactment at Stalin Line

On 18 July 2026, with the support of the Kroki Historical and Cultural Foundation for the Remembrance of the First World War, the Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex hosted a military-historical battle reenactment marking the 110th anniversary of the Baranovichi Offensive near Skrobovo.

The reenactment was dedicated to the heroes of the First World War, including young women who fought disguised as men, as well as teenagers.

When the First World War began in 1914, Tonya Palshina was 17 years old. She cut her hair, bought an old soldier’s uniform and, under the name Anton Palshin, volunteered for the front, where her heroism earned her two Crosses of St George and two Medals of St George.

At the age of 16, Kira Bashkirova cut her hair and volunteered for the front using the papers of her cousin, Nikolai Popov. She was awarded the Cross of St George for her heroism in battle. The ‘secret’ of both young women was only discovered in the hospitals to which they were taken after being seriously wounded.

By the age of 15, Vanya Kazakov had already been awarded three Crosses of St George and several medals. Anton Pshevodsky received the Cross of St George at the age of 14.

Both the young women and the teenagers were volunteers, and therefore wore black, yellow and white piping on their shoulder straps.

The battle reenactment also featured two young women, two teenagers, Sisters of Mercy, two male medical orderlies and a priest from Baranovichi, Father Roman Borodich.

Father Roman heads the S. A. Shcherbakov Baranovichi Amateur Local History Club, which reenacts the 2nd Battalion of the Railway Brigade stationed in the town of Baranovichi during the First World War. He was joined by the club’s deputy head, Vladimir Burbitsky, a locomotive depot foreman; Valery Nagaitsev, a major from the 61st Fighter Air Base and a member of the We Shall Remember Club in Minsk; and motoring blogger Nikolai Grishkevich. In the photograph, to the left of Father Roman, is Andrei Oralin, Chairman of the Board of the Kroki Historical and Cultural Foundation for the Remembrance of the First World War. The reenactors Vladimir and Yegor Burkevich are wearing Adrian steel helmets.

At 14:00, the reenactment of the battle near Baranovichi began.

After the reenactment, all the participants formed up.

This was followed by an unexpected ‘attack’ on the spectators.